Thursday, November 16, 2017

Every
October 31, people have an opportunity to don costumes and assume temporary
identities of someone or even something else. I am fascinated by the
costume choices people make, whether they choose to embody Disney characters from the hit film, Frozen, favorite rock
stars/musicians, monsters (werewolves or vampires), superheroes,
princesses/princes, animals or even politicians. Halloween celebrations become
a free-for-all of fantastical expression; even grown-ups can get in on the fun.
My question is: What, or who, does that chosen alter-ego represent to
the person behind the mask?

I
have observed that the costume expression that Halloween celebrants embody
range from fun and good-natured to genuinely frightening or even sinister. The
subconscious motivation of those dressed as heroes/superheroes, Disney
characters, royalty and other generally positive or benign identities might represent
the person’s abilities or personality or project an aspect of wish-fulfillment.
(Who hasn’t ever wanted to be a prince or princess, or to possess a super-human
skill that could save the world? I certainly did.) Perhaps the costume is even
a conscious projection of an intention to attract a skill or talent into the
person’s life, which is represented what he or she is wearing.

At
the other end of this spectrum are costumes that are designed to trigger
anxiety or even a fear response. Apparently the zombies from The Walking Dead television series are popular
costume choices in the scary/monster end of the dress-up spectrum. Unlike
vampires—at least, the seductive incarnation of vampires in modern Young Adult
novels and movies—zombies are the epitome of everything terrifying we imagine
about death. Not only do zombies appear in various stages of decay and possess
untold, albeit clumsy, strength, their very survival depends on killing and
eating (brains) their victims. Could there be anything more frightening than
seeing your dearly-departed relative wandering around, intent on doing you
harm?

Another
popular costume last year honored the 2016 Presidential candidates: Democratic Party
nominee, Hillary Rodham
Clinton and Republican Party nominee, now President Donald J. Trump
(R). Did the real candidates represent a real or perceived threat that the
Halloween celebrants to metaphorically exorcise before the election on November
8? Or, did the costume enable the wearer to publicly express some secretly
admired behaviors or traits that the person did not want to (publicly) own?